The United States Department of Agriculture has classified Abilene in a warmer zone on the climate map.
Plant hardiness zone maps have just been released by the USDA and Abilene has gone from a Zone 7 to Zone 8, which represents a 5-degree temperature change from past years.
The zones refer to plants' abilities to tolerate cold temperatures in the area, and the change means the coldest day of the year is not as cold as it used to be.
The new classification could mean we'll be seeing more of a variety of plants that can tolerate the cold in this area, but they would also have to be drought-tolerant to handle lack of rain.
Plant hardiness zone maps have just been released by the USDA and Abilene has gone from a Zone 7 to Zone 8, which represents a 5-degree temperature change from past years.
The zones refer to plants' abilities to tolerate cold temperatures in the area, and the change means the coldest day of the year is not as cold as it used to be.
The new classification could mean we'll be seeing more of a variety of plants that can tolerate the cold in this area, but they would also have to be drought-tolerant to handle lack of rain.
